


The monster you're used to.

by myotishia



Series: Thin ice [12]
Category: Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21673465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: A fight in the supermarket, an unwanted delivery and a sudden realisation lead to the start of a new case for Torchwood.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Thin ice [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1465414
Kudos: 11





	1. Power pulse

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

Ianto paused as he browsed the shelves at the supermarket. He was restocking the bits and pieces that were always running out. Snacks and drinks mostly. Owen had been trying to ease off of the energy drinks as technically he didn’t need them anymore and they had started to make his hands shake but the last time he ran out completely he showed the height of his twatishness. Ianto thought it might be easier to keep a couple on standby for his own sanity. He placed two cans of redbull into the basket and carried on down the aisle. There was a loud crash and the sound of a scuffle the next aisle over. He was curious as to what was happening but knew he shouldn’t walk around just to watch the show. Shouldn’t. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to. 

A middle aged woman, dressed in a tracksuit and trainers that had seen better days was raining blows down on a shop assistant who was just trying to block her from hitting him in the face. He was calling out for security but they were nowhere to be seen. Ianto wasn’t going to step in until she grabbed a bottle and smashed it against the shelf next to her. He ran forward, dropping the basket he’d been carrying, and grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back. She screeched and thrashed like an unsprayed weevil, kicking out at the bruised shop assistant. The other half of the bottle dropped to the floor and rolled away. Finally security showed up and took over wrestling with her. 

“Thanks … I don’t know why she lost it like that.” The shop assistant, named Rylan if his badge was correct, said to Ianto as they both got out of the way of the crazed woman. 

“She just walked up and started punching you?”

“She asked if we had some of that Power pulse stuff.”

Ianto gave a questioning look.

“Those energy drink shot things. Came out a few days ago. Anyway, I tell her we’re sold out and she just lost it. I thought she was going to kill me.”

“It looked like she was trying to.”

“Thanks again mate. If you hadn’t stepped in… Christ I don’t want to think about it.” 

Janet huffed at the shapes in front of her in mild confusion. Owen had stuck the cards to the outside of the viewing window so Janet could see the simple shapes but wouldn’t be able to eat the cards. It didn’t stop her licking the glass though.

Elise sat just out of sight in the next cell so there was no way Janet could possibly see what shape she was choosing. 

“Ready to get started?” Owen asked, tapping the glass to get Janet to concentrate. 

Elise spread the shapes out in front of her. “Yep. Janet, when Owen says so show him which shape I chose, ok?”

Janet looked to the wall then nodded. 

Elise picked a card with a blue square drawn on it and noted her choice down before giving Owen the thumbs up. He wouldn’t know what she chose until the end. His job was to record what Janet chose. The weevil took a few moments before tapping her claws on the blue square. The choices continued: Green triangle, red circle, yellow star, orange heart, blue square, purple hexagon, red circle, orange heart, green triangle. 

“Right, let’s see how it went.” Owen smiled as Elise joined him, pushing three cubes of meat through the holes in the glass to Janets excitement. The weevil retreated to her corner to chew on her treat.

At her workstation Tosh was monitoring the short experiment for any sign of telepathic, energetic or pheromone activity. Nothing had shown and she expected it to be a bust if she was honest. Maybe the weevils had just somehow gotten used to her voice and body language to a paint that they could understand what she was asking. Scars tribe could have been in the area by simple coincidence. Part of her was disappointed. She knew that by all accounts Elise was a dud when it came to psychic abilities, having a lower than average score on Torchwoods usual testing scale. Even Gwen had a higher score and Tosh had assumed that her score had been the average human baseline. Owen had said that Eli's score was likely due to low level brain damage due to oxygen deprivation when she was a child and still developing. It wasn’t enough to damage her cognitive abilities but it rendered psychic potential null. At least, that was how it was supposed to work. 

Tosh turned to see her partners returning.

“Anything on your end?” Asked Owen, taking the sheet of paper from Elise. 

“Not even a blip. It looked like Janet had fun though so it wasn’t a complete loss.”

Elise wrapped her arms around Toshikos shoulders. “Told you so. Can we just go with we don’t know how they understand me but they do?”

“You might want to hold your horses on that.” Owen said, comparing the results.

“Why? She had to have guessed one or two right.”

“Yea, but not all ten.” He held up the lists next to each other and they were identical. 

“Are you sure you weren’t watching me and giving her hints?”

“I had no idea what you were choosing. That was the whole point. Are you sure you got nothing on the scans?” 

Elise stood back to let Tosh turn to her computer and bring the readings up on the screen. They all showed normal background levels.

“Can you filter out anything that could be me or Janet?”

“I can try.” Tosh tapped on her keyboard for a moment, the readings each separating into three. “That one’s Janet, that one’s Owen and that one’s Elise. I don’t see any significant spikes.”

Elise smirked. “It’s me, you’re lucky there’s anything there at all.”

“You actually have a point.”

“Love you too sweety.”

“No, I mean your levels should be lower than this. Maybe that’s why we haven’t noticed.” 

“But if they’re on par with background levels then they wouldn’t be strong enough to get through.” 

“True… Hmm.” A moment of furious tapping later. “It’s a long shot but could you try and mentally tell Janet something? Anything will do.”

“Okay.” 

Owen leaned on Toshikos desk, curious as to what she was doing exactly. “Tosh, a frequency like that would melt the human brain and-” A huge spike in the readings flashed across the screen. “That’s not possible.” 

“Maybe if it was the human part activating, yes, but I don’t think it is.” 

“You think it’s the… What are we even calling them? Rift cells? I can’t pin down what they’re made of so we can call them anything for now.” 

Elise looked at the screen. “Unlit cells. They absorb light. I’d call them void cells but that’s a bit edgy.”

“So the unlit cells are sending the message.” 

“You want to deep scan my brain now, don’t you?”

“I just want to be sure it isn’t doing you any damage.”

“Aaand?”

“And you basically have a symbiote that you have control of.”

“I’m not bloody Venom!”

“Still.”

“And I don’t think they’re sentient.”

“Scan, now.”

Gwen couldn’t believe the mess she was stepping in to. At first the case didn’t seem like something of any interest to Torchwood. It was a simple murder. A crime of passion. But the killer handed himself in, full of remorse and desperation. He said he didn’t know what happened, one moment everything was fine and then he snapped. It was completely out of character. The police suspected he had taken something but a blood test showed nothing but high levels of caffeine. Such a sudden explosion of violence in a person wasn’t unheard of but was very rare. 

The house had been taped off and the body removed but the large blood stain in the living room, surrounded by spatter and tiny fragments of the victims skull. It looked as if the place had been ransacked. 

“What do you think drove him to it?” She mused, letting the scene sink in.

Jack surveyed the papers thrown from the shattered coffee table. “That’s why we’re here. There’s nothing obvious… Can you smell that?”

“I’m trying not to smell anything in here.”

“I’m serious. There’s something …” He carefully crossed the room and followed the scent to the kitchen. It was sweet, almost sickly, like fake tropical fruit flavouring. But there was an undertone of something difficult to describe. He stopped at the kitchen counter, littered with small red bottles with cyan blue writing that said ‘Power pulse’ in stylised font. He sniffed one of the empty plastic bottles. 

“What is that?” 

Gwen walked over, only able to smell fruit syrup. “They look like those little energy drink shots you can get.” She picked one up and read the tiny text that was the ingredients list. “Caffeine, sugar, vitamin D… I have no idea what that is.” She held out the bottle, pointing to the last ingredient before water. 

“Veritine.”

“Any idea?”

“Not a clue but it smells familiar. Not in a good way either. We’ll take one of these back with us, see what Owen can find. In the meantime let’s look through the rest of this place.”

Elise stared up at the scan results being projected onto the wall. The unlit cells gathered together when she thought to Janet and dispersed when the link was no longer needed.

“What percentage of those cells do I have to have before I stop classing as human?”

“Oi, none of that talk. You’re human, no matter how much of this stuff is in your blood. I’m only checking to make sure it isn’t hurting you.”

“Is it?”

“No. To be honest it seems like it’s meshed with your body perfectly. It’s actively trying to help you, keep you in good condition. It’s not taking over anything vital, it just goes to where it’s needed.” 

A voice called down from the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt. The post just arrived but… There’s a box with Elises name on it and… I haven’t opened it but the contents register as biological.” Said Ianto, holding a quarantine box as he didn’t know if whatever was in there was diseased. 

“Put it on the table and I’ll find out what’s in there.” 

Elise watched the box be placed down carefully. “It just had my name on?”

“Yes… I’m guessing you don’t want to see what’s in there.” Ianto pointed out.

“It was sent to me so I kind of want to know.”

Owen held up his favourite scanner and ran it over the outer box, the small screen showing red wrapping paper around a cardboard gift box. Further in he saw an eye staring back at him. A human eye. “Shit!”

“What is it?” She took a step forward but he took the scanner away before she could see.

“There’s a head in the box.”

“What?!”

“Right, everyone out. I’ve got to treat this like it’s toxic so I’ve got to suit up before I can open it and find out where it came from.”

“Did you recognise them?”

He didn’t want to mention that the eye that looked back at him was eerily similar to hers. “No. Let me do a few tests and I’ll tell you what I find.” He shot a look to Ianto that said ‘help me out here’ and hoped he got the message. 

“Elise, want to hear about my shopping trip while Owen’s sorting this out? There was a fight.”

She looked between the box and Owen, feeling anxiety rise, before turning to Ianto. “A fight?” 

“Is it safe to come down?” Asked Jack, having only been told there was a suspicious box and Owen was dealing with it. 

“Yea, just close the door behind you.” He said, an air of worry in his voice. 

The captain leaned on the railing and registered what was on the table. “Is that a head?”

“Yes. What do you need?”

“I want to know whos head that is.”

Owen checked the door was closed before walking closer so he could be as quiet as possible. “This is Mr Ahmed Carter. Or at least he was until this morning.”

“That name sounds familiar.”

“That’s because this is Elises father.” 

“I hate to have to ask but any idea if this was Solomon or not?”

“He’s the most likely suspect. This head wasn’t cut off, it was torn off.”

“And left at our front door.”

“What the hell do we tell her? It’s been less than a year since she lost her mum. I know Solomon’s trying to push her over the edge and I wish I could say it wasn’t working but it is. She’s doing her best to pretend everything’s fine but it’s not and this… Fuck!” Owen leaned on the table, feeling like he was caught between a rock and a hard place. 

Jack didn’t know what to say but he knew he had to say something. “Let me deal with it. Put the head in storage, tell her … Tell her the tests were inconclusive and you have to rerun them. It’ll give us some time to figure this out.”

“And what do we do about Solomon? He’s not just getting in the way. This was a message. What’s next? This isn’t just directed at us, it’s anyone even sidwardly connected to us. How long will it be until he tries to break us? Get us to hand her over.”

“Owen.”

“Jack, you’re as lost as us. Just admit it!”

“He’s tripped up. He delivered this box by hand. We can track him back through the cameras. We’ll find him.”

“Then what?”

“We’ll find a way to stop him. I won’t let him get away with any of this.”

Ianto stopped as he passed Toshikos desk. “Oh, I think this is for you.” He placed a letter down in front of her. She picked it up and her face lit up. She’d recognise her mothers handwriting anywhere. The letter was technically addressed to Jack as everything had to go through him but Tosh always got to read them first. She sliced open the envelope and pulled out the neatly written letter. 

“What does it say?” Asked Elise, peeking over.

Tosh skimmed over the note with a smile. “It’s from my mum. She’s asking if I’m eating well and not overworking myself. Everything’s fine with her but she says she misses me. She says she wishes she could meet this partner of mine but she’s glad I sound happy. And she’s asking if I get married can she attend.” She laughed softly. 

Elise felt her face flush, seeing such a joyful smile on Toshikos face. The light in her eyes was just beautiful to behold and Eli sighed, leaning on her arm, just content with being there. 

Ianto nudged Tosh, pointing to Elis dreamy expression. 

“What?” 

“Just… You.” Elise sighed happily. 

Tosh blushed. “Stop it.” 

“Sorry, can’t help it. You’re just too pretty when you smile.”

Ianto chuckled as Gwen joined him. “They’re being mushy again.”

“In my workplace? How dare they.” Gwen gave a disgusted face before cracking a smile. “Did I hear you say there was a fight while you were out shopping?”

“Yes. A woman losing her mind at the staff because they ran out of some energy drink.”

“What drink was it?”

“Umm… It started with a P, I think. Why?”

“The scene me and Jack went to look at. There were empty bottles of this energy drink and Jack said he could smell something in it but he wasn’t sure what it was. That’s why he went to see Owen. I wonder what they’re talking about in there.”

Elise didn’t look away from Tosh. “I got a box with a head in it sent to me. Owen was finding out who it belonged to.”

“What?! Like a horses head or -”

Ianto shook his head at Gwen, trying to get her to shut up about it. 

“Human I think. I’m trying not to think about it.” Eli found herself pulled into Toshikos arms. She wasn’t going to complain. “I’m ok.”

Tosh gave her a look that said  _ I know you’re not _ but didn’t push the matter. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to but when Elise said “I’m trying not to think about it,” it was her way of saying “this is too much for me and I don’t know if I can cope with accepting it as part of my reality right now”. They could talk about it later somewhere warm and cosy where she could cry it out and process it in a more controlled way. 

She decided changing the subject was the best course of action. “If you can remember the name of this energy drink I can look into the company for you.”

“Power pulse? I think that was it.” Ianto said, pretty sure he was correct.

“Let’s see.” She turned to her computer, motioning for Elise to pull over a chair, finding the power pulse official web page. It was garish and had been designed to market to teenagers and students, all bright colours and buzz words. 

“That’s it.”

“The ingredients list looks average apart from this… Veritine. I’ve never heard of that before.”

“Does the site say anything about it?”

“Ah, here we are. It says it’s a plant based extract that promotes energy and alertness. Not much else here.” She moved over to search for this veritine substance, hoping it was a trade name for something she was more familiar with. That or explain what plant is supposedly came from.    
  
Owen didn’t like the look of what had been named veritine. It was a stimulant, yes, but from what he could tell not only was it highly addictive but it could eventually start eating away at certain parts of the brain. To what extent he wasn’t sure. He took out Geoff, a very old rat who preferred sleep to anything else in his life, and placed him in the testing tank. The rodent immediately began making a bed in the corner and showed no interest in anything else in there. Owen placed a small toy rat in the tank with him then gave him a treat laced with a large amount of the veritine. Geoff ate and was about to curl up for an after meal nap when it kicked in. The rat began running around like he was half of his actual age, digging small burrows that he didn’t have the attention to complete and investigating the top corners of the tank. Suddenly, the agitated rodent locked his eyes on the plush replica of itself and charged, sinking its teeth into the toys neck and ripping away at the fabric. Geoff didn’t stop until the plush had been fully decapitated. Owen almost felt sorry for it. He left the tank secured as he left to ask Tosh for a favour. 

“Can you make an urgent product recall for this power pulse stuff?”

She looked up, mildly startled. “I already have. What have you found?”

“It’s like liquid cocaine but also has the side effect of causing extreme rage.”

“I’ll get the recall sent out but we’ll need to shut down production and distribution separately. I don’t know how it got to this stage. Surely an ingredient that dangerous wouldn’t be cleared for use.”

“Things like energy drinks are a bit iffy when it comes to what’s put in them at the best of times. I’m guessing they thought one of the other ingredients stabilised it enough to be safe. Still don’t know its origin though.”

“The web site said it was a plant extract of some kind.”

“The site’s full of bull shit then. I might not know where that stuff came from yet, but I know it didn’t come out of a plant.” 

“Any luck with finding out who the head in the box is?”

He looked around to make sure Elise wasn’t in earshot. “Yea, but we’re not telling Eli yet.”

“That’s understandable I suppose, but who is it?”

“Her dad.”

Tosh jolted and stopped what she was doing, looking Owen right in the eye. “But that’s… How?”

“I don’t know how Solomon found him. He’s not even someone we’re tracking.”

“What are we going to tell her?”

“Jack said he’d talk to her, he just needs a bit of time to work out what to say.”

“Should we tell her at all. I mean I don’t like lying to her but… This could crush her.”

“If she found out we’d kept it from her it’d crush her too.”

“Maybe that’s what Jack asked Ianto to do… Not talk to her I mean look into who delivered the box. He was very hush hush about it.”

“Probably. Where’s Gwen?”

“Off with Elise confiscating as much power pulse as they can find. I’m starting to feel like that was just to give himself some time though.” 

“That or he’s going to try and track Solomon down and bring the fight to his door.”

“It’s not as if we haven’t been trying.”

“Yea, but it’s Jack. I think Solomon’s finally pushed him too far.” 

Gwen pushed another box of the tainted energy drink into the back of the SUV.

“How far do you think we have to go with this? I mean this stuff must be in shops all across the country.”

“No idea.” Elise shrugged, handing over the box she’d been holding. The large supermarkets were all sold out but smaller stores still had stock to confiscate. What they didn’t know is how many stores they should go to. 

“That the last one?”

“Yep. There’s a small off licence a couple of miles down the road so that should be next.” She hopped into the passenger seat and buckled up. While Gwen was getting buckled in too she paused. 

“You said daemons have to make deals to get what they want.”

“Yep. They’re bound by a kind of contract. It makes them experts at finding loopholes though.”

“I was thinking.”

“Mm?”

“You said you’d have to give consent to let one of them use your body.”

“Yea.”

“Well, when we joined Torchwood the paperwork said if anything happened your body became Torchwood property.”

“I’m already Torchwood property, technically.” 

“Then you’re not the one that can give consent. It would have to be Jack, wouldn’t it? I mean they treat bodies like property.”

Elise turned sharply, staring at Gwen for a moment before a smile spread across her lips. “Gwen Cooper you absolute genius.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll need to check the paperwork but… Jack’s Torchwood property too.”

“I don’t-”

“I’ll explain when we get back. I think the boot’s full anyway.”

Ianto was shocked to almost be barrelled over by a very over excited Elise. “Slow down.”

“Ianto. I need to see some paperwork. Specifically mine and Jacks employment documents.”

“Ok, but why?”

“I’ll tell you, if what I think is true.”

He was confused but decided to just roll with it as she seemed so happy about whatever it was. The filing cabinet that held the documents for all active Torchwood personnel was an inconspicuous, metal, set of drawers filled with manilla folders. Elises being the newest and Jacks being clearly the oldest, the colour long faded. She pulled out both and placed them on the table in the middle of the room. Ianto switched on the lamp and watched as she opened each folder to the same page. Time had changed the layout and some of the wording but they were essentially the same. 

“So, what’s going on?” He asked.

Elise grinned. “Look at this. I’m an asset right? I technically belong to Torchwood.”

“Ok.”

“That means if someone wanted to claim my body, alive or dead they’d have to get permission from Jack.”

“Yes?”

“But here’s the thing. Jack’s technically an asset too. He belongs to Torchwood. At this point Torchwood itself becomes the one who’d have to give their permission.”

“Torchwood itself can’t.”

“Exactly! Do you know what this means?”

“I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Solomon’s lost. He lost before his game began. A daemon needs consent from the bodies rightful owner to use it. But Torchwood is my bodies owner. Torchwood as a theoretical entity can’t, but more importantly due to what it stands for it wouldn’t. I could serve myself up on a silver platter with a written bill of sale and he still couldn’t use this physical form. This isn’t going to end with me slipping up and him calling an army through the rift because it’s not possible. By his rules it can’t. We win.” She beamed, practically vibrating. 

“That’s brilliant. How did you even think of this?”

“I didn’t. Gwen did. She’s a bloody genius. Come on, we should tell the others.”

“Folders away first.”

“Right. Sorry, I’m just so happy.” She collected the files and carefully placed them back where they should be. 

Jack appreciated the lift in mood for everyone after Elise finished explaining. There had been a metaphorical black cloud over the whole hub for a while and it was nice to thin it out a bit. For a moment he could see some of the wide eyed enthusiasm that Elise had exuded return to her. It was a weight off her shoulders, clearly. He just wished he didn’t have to be the one to break the other bad news to her. Not yet, no, he wasn’t going to be that harsh. Let her enjoy it for a bit longer. 

Tosh waved to get his attention. “I found the power pulse manufacturer. Their headquarters and development lab are in Ipswich. Their internal network is pretty simple and most of what they make is above board. Veritine is an extract but not from a plant like they advertise. It seems to be something they’ve taken from a kind of anemone. One that lives on sand.”

“Looks like I’ll have to pay them a visit. Have you shut down their distribution?” 

“You have to ask? All deliveries have been halted as of ten minutes ago and a full product recall is in effect.”

“Great work. Get me a map to the place, quietest route. Tell Owen that you, me, Gwen and him are going to be shutting down their operation tomorrow morning. We’ll head out at nine.”

“Right.” She smiled, trotting back to talk to Owen. 

Ianto took the moment to speak to Jack without anyone eavesdropping. 

“I have a possible location for our delivery mans hideout.” 

Jack nodded, gesturing to his office. “Everyone’s full of good news.”

“Mostly.” He answered, following. “It’s a residential area. Very high end and I had a look at the deed. The owner was the woman you met at the water treatment plant. Owen managed to drill through and do a quick DNA test.”

“It makes sense he’d hide out there. Did he deliver it personally or send one of his puppets?”

“One of his puppets. I called a couple of the neighbours and they say there have been more and more people entering the property. No noise complaints but a lot of suspicious activity.”

“Feel like joining me to have a look around tonight?”

“Are you sure that’s wise? We shouldn’t risk being spotted.”

“We’ll just have to make sure we aren’t. We’re not going to raid the place, just check it out.”

“It’s fenced off and if he’s been creating more of his children then it’s not going to be easy.”

“If he’s creating more of those creatures we need to confirm it. See what’s going to be sent after us. We need to know how many people he’s enslaved.”

“Let’s just see all of that from a safe distance. I know you want to deal with him, and as wonderful as the news that his end goal isn’t possible is, we need to be cautious.”

Jack sighed. “I know. I promise I won’t try and pick a fight. Scouts honour.”

“You were never a boy scout.” He smirked.

“Captains honour.”

“Have you finished the reports I asked you to sign last night?”

“Yes.”

“I can take them now then.”

Jack paused, slowly tucking the papers into his desks top draw. “I can’t remember where I left them.”

“Really? Well, you find them and I’ll come with you to snoop around tonight.”

“Deal.” 


	2. Just a minute

The house could only just be seen from the road. It was an old building surrounded by a fence and a myriad of mature trees to give the place some privacy. A hillside behind the property was the only decent place to view the house without having to climb the fence. Jack watched through a set of binoculars, the lens covering one eye so he could keep track of any life signs in the area. There were more than he’d expected. Ianto didn’t exactly enjoy spending his night on the cold ground, constantly on edge about being found one of the daemons or eaten by insects. He pulled his scarf a little higher over his mouth and nose, trying to hold in the warmth he’d managed to keep and block the cloud of condensation rising into the air every time he exhaled. An owl screeched in the darkness making him jump. Jack chuckled softly. “It’s just a bird.”

“Daemons can be any shape.”

“It’s an owl. Be glad there aren’t any foxes screaming. That’s a sound that’ll give you nightmares.”

“What can you see down there?”

“More people than I expected. They’re staying away from the windows and keeping the lights off.” He placed down the binoculars. “He’s been busy. Most of the shapes I see are human but some of them aren't.”

“Have you worked out how we’re going to kill or contain him?”

“There’s no point in killing him so containment is our only option. I’m not sure what we have will work. I even looked through all of the puzzle boxes we have, just in case we could use it like the last one but they’re all different. Next option is a containment field with a time lock but we’d have to keep it charged twenty four seven. It’s risky. Too risky. There is one more option but I don’t know how we’d pull it off.”

“Go on. What is it?”

“We could strand him inside the time vortex. Abaddon could freely travel through time but Solomon can’t. If we can send him on a one way trip into the vortex then he can live for eternity and it won’t matter.”

“How would we make sure he couldn’t escape?”

“I’m working on it. I’m going to talk it through with Tosh tomorrow.”

“Would it be better to send him beyond the time vortex? Theoretically time had a beginning and end so there would be safer. And that’s discounting dimensional travel.”

“It sounds like you’re about to start a lecture on multiverse theory.” He appreciated Ianto showing a little of the intelligence he kept hidden.

“I could.”

“Go ahead. I could listen to your voice all night.”

“Not if I freeze to death you can’t.”

Jack sighed dramatically. “Fine, I’ve seen what I needed anyway. Let’s get somewhere I can warm you up.” 

Bright and early the next morning the team were ready for their trip out. For the first time in a while there was some actual confidence to them. Jack paused before getting into the SUV, turning back. “Elise. We need to talk when I get back.”

“Oh, ok. Not in trouble, am I?” She asked.

“No, you’re not in trouble.”

“Then I’ll look forward to it. Have a safe trip.”

He nodded his goodbye and hoped that the anxiety hadn’t shown in his face. For once he actually wanted to go on this long drive just to put off that conversation for a bit longer. He hadn’t bothered trying to sleep the night before. He’d let Ianto fall asleep on his chest and just lay awake, mentally mapping Solomons hideout. He knew he’d eventually have to storm the place and he wanted to avoid hurting the daemons victims as much as possible. The way he saw it a daemon was no different to any other alien. So it can heal its body from a death state? Seen it before. Possessing people? Common. Able to spawn aggressive young? What invader didn’t? There was no way it could bring its army so it was alone. That was a problem he could solve. 

“Have you worked out what you’re going to say to her?” Asked Owen, settling in for the long trip.

“Huh? Oh, yea. It’s not like there’ll be a way to sugar coat it.”

Gwen looked confused. “Tell who what?”

“The head in the box. We know who it belonged to.”

“Oh. So…”

“I volunteered to tell her.”

“Right, but you haven’t said who it was.”

“Her dad.”

“What?!” She remembered talking to the man and breaking the news that his partner and unborn child were dead. How he’d descended into hysterics and had to be escorted away by friends. His face had been etched into her memory. “She’s going to be devastated. Forgetting what he looked like was painful enough but this?”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t say anything yesterday. Anyway, leave that with me otherwise this trip is going to be depressing.”

“Alright, if you want a change of subject, how did my mother know I had a partner?” Asked Tosh, knowing it would be uncomfortable but not as heartbreaking. 

Jack chuckled. “She asked how your love life was going. I kept things vague, no pronouns, and I definitely never mentioned marriage.”

“Eh?” Owen looked at Tosh like a rabbit in the headlights.

She shook her head. “Relax. My mum always brought up marriage whenever I showed even the smallest amount of interest in anyone. Not that any of you will ever meet her but if she could visit I don’t know how I’d explain anything. It’s not as if I could come out to her.”

“Fair. It might be a bit of a shock.”

“That or she’d start fussing at both of you to have grand babies, right now. And mumming at you. Oh god she wouldn’t let Owen out of her sight until she’d fed him into a coma.”

He wouldn’t say so but that didn’t sound like such a bad thing. It would be nice to have someone throw some motherly affection his way. His own mother sure as hell wouldn’t. 

Ianto sent off yet another statement trying to keep someone affected by power pulse out of a long prison stint. It would be impossible to search every single home in the country and confiscate the stuff so limiting the damage was all he could do. He picked up his empty mug and frowned before heading to grab a refill. Elise was at her desk looking over some kind of diagram.

“Coffee?” He asked as he wandered past.

She looked up. “Huh? Oh sure.”

“What are you working on?”

“A theory about where the weevils come from and their relationship with the rift. I don’t want to say anything until I’m sure.”

“Sounds thrilling.”

“It’s more interesting than you’d think. It’s really quiet down here with everyone else out.”

“Want me to keep you company?”

“Naa, it’s ok. I wonder what Jack wants to talk to me about. I don’t have any gossip to share.”

He tried to keep the best poker face he could and decided to busy himself with the coffee machine. “I don’t know.”

“Ianto.” Her voice was filled with curiosity. “Something you don’t know?”

“There are a few things. Not many.” He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, feeling like a deer being stalked by a pack of wolves. 

“Jack tells you almost everything. He’d definitely tell you before he said anything to me.”

“You’d think that.”

“What were you two up to last night?”

“What? Why?”

“There was a trace of mud on Jacks coat and it smelled like outside. That only happens if he’s been outside for hours. He hadn’t shined his boots either. Going on the temperature last night I’m pretty sure you weren’t out there for some kinky fun times.”

He peeked over his shoulder, almost expecting her to be standing right behind him. “We were scoping out a possible hideout for Solomon.” That was vague enough for her to not suspect anything too bad.

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“Jack wants to keep you away from it. He’s worried about you.”

She sighed, suddenly standing next to him. “I’m better today. A lot better.”

“I know and that’s great but still.”

“I can fight again. He can’t win so I don’t need to hide anymore.”

“It’s not about hiding. No one wants to see you get hurt. You have more scars than any of us and you’ve only been here for a year or so.”

“That’s ok.”

“It’s really not. Take a step back and stop throwing yourself at death. I know Jack does it but you don’t come back from the dead.”

She looked away from him, unconvinced. A sudden alert made them both jump. 

“What’s that about?” She asked, jogging back to her computer and clicking the little pop up box to expand it. It was essentially a digital wanted poster. A being that hadn’t been seen since nineteen sixty two and had come into Torchwoods sight after a string of robberies had reappeared. It wasn’t meant to be high risk. “Should we bring them in?”

“You’re asking me?”

“You have seniority. So, what do you think we should do,  _ sir _ ?”

“We should catch them. I’ll drive, you track them.”

The Power pulse research and development building could have easily been missed if it weren’t for the large and garish sign. Jack couldn’t shake that smell that he’d first recognised in the drink. It was everywhere. He’d sent Owen and Gwen to the head office building to try and shut everything down while he and Tosh dealt with the research centre. Tosh was crouched, hacking in to the digital locks. As Jack watched he had a sudden flash of a memory. That smell. 

“I know what they’re using.”

She glanced up. “Oh?”

“I remember that smell. Sand eaters. Back when I was a kid we had to keep them away from the house. They feed on minerals so they can take down a small building in a couple of days. They’re harmless but they’re big and they smell like that.” He had a wistful look on his face, filled with a warm nostalgia. 

“So it isn’t an anemone?”

“They look like them but they’re a bit different. Thing was they were hunted because if their meat was salted and blended up it could be used as a drug to keep you awake for days on end. Funny thing was that they weren’t even edible. If you tried to eat the meat in one piece your body would just reject it. Plus it tasted like chewing sand.”

“If it’s inedible, how do you know how it tastes?”

He shrugged. “If you’re hungry enough you’ll try anything.” 

The door clicked open quietly. “We’ll know for certain what they are in a second.”

“Ladies first.” He held the door and smiled, gesturing for her to walk though. 

Just inside she saw something useful, a lab coat. People didn’t often ask questions as long as you were wearing a lab coat. The halls were relatively quiet, those working engrossed in what they were doing and not paying even the smallest amount of attention to the new visitors. Most labs had the smell of disinfectant wafting around above anything else but this place was coated in a sickly sweet scent that permeated everything. The further they walked into the research wing the stronger it got. It became almost difficult to breathe with how intense it became. Tosh cleared her throat, trying to ignore it. Jack looked a little more disturbed than sickened.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, trying not to breathe through her nose.

“It shouldn’t be this strong. Sand eaters smell but not like this. Not unless…”

“Unless?” 

“They’re dying.” 

She frowned deeply. She hoped that this would be a case of a company farming these things and they could just rescue them. It was never that easy. In the far room a large group of what looked like shrivelled anemones, clumped together and waving their tendrils in the air. The floor of their pen was covered in plastic and a mass of discarded plant matter was left in the corner. Jack shook his head. This was cruel but he guessed it was because of ignorance, not malice. 

“Easy there, let’s find you some food before anything else.” He said as he approached the pen, taking a blade from his pocket and slicing the plastic. He ripped up the plastic tiles to reveal the concrete underneath. “It’s not great but it’s something.” 

Tosh joined him pulling up the now loose tiles, tossing them aside as the sand eaters slowly wiggled their way towards the uncovered floor. 

“Do they need water?” She asked.

“They could probably do with a little bit. Throw some over them and they’ll absorb it. Should lessen the smell too.” 

She tipped over one of the buckets used to throw more plant matter into the pen and took it to the tap, filling it half way so she could still carry it easily. As the water splashed against them the sand eaters began waving their tendrils in the air in a wave, small bio-luminescent spots lit up across their skin. 

“Hey! Who are you?!” An angry man in the doorway shouted, trying to look intimidating but finding it near impossible with his five foot nothing, skinny frame. 

Jack stood to his full height and without missing a beat simply said. “RSPCA. We’re confiscating these animals.”

“But… I … I need to get my manager.”

“You do that, but it’s not going to change anything.”

Gwen walked up to the front desk. The receptionist looking more than a little overwhelmed by multiple phones ringing. She redirected them all before looking up with tired eyes. 

“Can I help you?”

“Food standards agency. We need to have a meeting with your CEO immediately.”

The receptionists eyes widened. “Oh… I’ll call him right down. Please, take a seat.” She gestured to the soft chairs that sat next to a door into the rest of the building as she stood, picking up an armful of papers. 

Gwen watched her go before sitting. 

“Food standards are we?” Asked Owen, leaning against the wall.

“I doubt they’d react to us telling them who we really are. Aren’t you going to sit down?”

“I’ve been sitting for hours, my arse is numb.”

“You voted no to stopping at the services, it’s your own fault.”

“Better than services coffee.”

“We’ve been spoiled. Cheap coffee just doesn’t cut it anymore.”

“That’s how the tea boy keeps his job. He’s shagging Jack and has us hooked on his coffee.”

“And the hub would be a tip without him. Plus he does know the archives better than our own computer system does.” 

“Yea, because he spends all of his time down there.”

“Owen, are you being bitter because he gets to spend all day alone with your girlfriend?”

“I would be but I’m still avoiding the whole your dad’s dead thing.”

Gwen gave a sympathetic look. “If Jack can’t bring himself to tell her then I will. I’m trained to deliver bad news like that.”

“I can deliver bad news I’m just worried about her reaction. Her powers act up when she’s emotional. Not like they’re chaotic just… They’re so much stronger. Like the rift side is taking over to try and ease the pain.”

“You haven’t mentioned anything before.”

“I didn’t want everyone tiptoeing around her. It’s getting stronger all the time. The unlit cells have multiplied and latched onto her whole system. At first the weevils were just afraid of her, then she could command them verbally, then telepathically. It’s tough trying to get her to learn to control it and still get her to have a normal life. As normal as any of our lives are anyway.” 

“That’s why you get upset when she doesn’t tell you things.”

“Yep.” He sighed and looked away. “I have to make sure she doesn’t become a threat. I can’t lose her like that.” 

“You won’t.”

“I hope so.” 

A scream and a crash pulled both toward the door that the receptionist had disappeared through. The woman was hurtled back through the door, landing in a heap on the foyer carpet. Her arm was clearly broken in at least two places and blood ran down the side of her head. Owen rushed over to her, glad that she still had a pulse after a landing like that. She groaned and opened one eye.

“Don’t move.” He said softly. “What happened?”

She started hyperventilating and trying to look at the door she’d been launched through. “He just lost it! He’s been drinking the energy shots for three days straight. Hasn’t slept and he just… Oh god, my arm!”

He rested a hand on her shoulder to stop her moving. “Easy. I’m a doctor and if you move you could do yourself even more damage.”

Gwen took her gun and aimed at the door where a mans form showed through the small window in it. The door flew open again and slammed into the wall, knocking down a mix of paint and plaster. The man, dressed in an ill fitting suit stepped through. His eyes were red and sore looking, his chest heaved and he let his mouth hang open, drool running down his chin. Upon spotting his fallen secretary he let out a bestial roar and charged for her. 

“This is the last place he was spotted. I’ve been looking through the file and he wasn’t just a thief.” Said Elise.

“So what else are we looking at?”

“He was stealing human organs. Mostly from people who were already dead but not buried yet.”

“Mostly?”

“Apparently there was a case of someone he thought was dead but very much wasn’t. That’s when Torchwood caught him.”

“How did he get free then?”

“The notes say he lured a new agent over with the old I’m dying trick, knocked them out, took their pass and made a run for it. He got to his ship before anyone even realised. Apparently it was a huge embarrassment.” 

“It sounds like something that could happen now.”

She smirked. “Don’t say anything but do you want to hear a story about my original timeline?”

“Go on.” 

“Well, do you remember that meteor that the team was called to and Jack ended up falling into the crater.”

Ianto glanced over, seeing the barely concealed laughter on her face. “Yes.”

“Well, the being inside it possessed a local woman. She was brought in and while she was in the cells she played a version of that old trick on Owen.”

“He fell for it?”

“He blamed the pheromones she was giving off. Anyway, she gets him undressed, nicks his pass and clothes, locks him in the cell and escapes. Tosh and Gwen had to go and let him out.” Both of their laughter filled the air, warm and light. It was only cut short by a very frightened man stumbling out of the trees and into the road. Elise got out.

“What happened?” She asked, trying to look as much like an innocent bystander as possible. 

The man stopped, still looking over his shoulder. “There… There’s a dead body by the underpass and… Oh shit. There’s a guy pulling out his guts. I don’t think he saw me. I -” He kept running, leaving her behind. 

“That sounds like our thief.” Said Ianto, locking the car. 

“Come on, I know how to get round to the side of the underpass without being spotted.”

The labs manager was a sour faced woman who looked as if she hadn’t had a kind thought in a decade and wasn’t about to start now. “Don’t you think previously undiscovered sea anemones are a little out of your range of influence?”

“Don’t you think starving them is a little cruel?” Asked Jack, staring her in the eye and making sure he was between her and the creatures. 

“They have food and water.”

“They aren’t cows! They can’t eat grass and they absorb water through their skin. What kind of biochemist are you?”

“A very good one thank you very much. Who let you in anyway?”

“The door was unlocked.”

“I find that highly unlikely.”

“Where did you find these creatures?”

“I found one on a recent trip to the south of Wales. It was only small and it had tried to burrow under my cellar when I brought it back. Luckily for me it was pregnant and they grow very swiftly.”

“And how did you end up making an addictive energy drink out of it?”

“All energy drinks are addictive. And it wasn’t my idea. My idiot husband came home drunk and thought my samples were his dinner. The next thing I know he’s running around, trying to organise the whole house. He didn’t feel the need to sleep for forty eight hours.”

“Good for him but it’s killed people.”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous!”

He furrowed his brow, losing his patience. “You’ve been pedalling liquid cocaine! Do you know what happens if you have too much? Red mist.”

“What? But Kieth has been drinking it for days.” For the first time her expression changed, a small amount of worry seeping in. 

“Your husband?”

“Yes! He’s over in the office.”

Jack tapped his earpiece. “Gwen? Owen? Be careful of the boss, he’s been on this stuff for days.”

In the office building Gwen fired two shots into Kieths knee, making him stumble and fall. He didn’t seem to register the pain but the muscles in his leg had given out. She ran over and used the disorientation from the fall to her advantage, binding the crazed mans arms behind his back.

Owen was already calling an ambulance for the receptionist who was in and out of consciousness. Her head had smashed into the door when she was thrown and she wasn’t looking good. 

Gwen had just stepped back from Kieth, who was still bucking like an angry bull, when Jacks call got through. “We know. He’s just tried to kill his secretary and he’s raging at the floor right now. Have you found the… uh...”

“Sand eaters, and yea. They aren’t small. We’re going to need some transport for them.”

The underpass wasn’t that large so the embankment was easy to descend without making too much noise. In the centre of the circle of wasteland lay a vaguely human shaped body with a second figure hunched over it. The living figure was hard at work, removing parts of the dead body, placing them softly into a box next to them. 

“Looks like our guy.” Elise whispered.

Ianto nodded and was about to step down when another figure approached the organ thief from behind. They pulled their arm back then drove it through the thiefs head, killing him instantly. His body was lifted and tossed aside. The new figure faded to nothing.

“What just happened?” Elise asked, blinking.

“Maybe he took something from someone he shouldn’t?” 

“And we’re left to clean up. Think it’s safe to go down there?”

“It’s never safe. We should get a couple of body bags before we even think of approaching.”

“We can’t leave the scene unguarded.”

“I can’t leave you out here alone. Anyway, no one’s going to stick around after seeing that mess.”

“You’ll be five minutes, max. I’ll keep on guard so just hurry.” 

He didn’t like the idea even if she was right. If he ran he could make it two minutes. “Fine. Just be careful, ok?”

“I will.” She nodded and pulled on a pair of gloves. The embankment was easy to descend and the wasteland was flat. It was excellent for echoing sounds back so she was confident she wouldn’t be crept up on. Crouching down next to the headless human corpse she winced at the damage that had been done to him. He looked like he’d been mauled even before he was cut open. She could see his wallet sticking out of his pocket slightly and, out of curiosity, she gently pulled it out. Unfolding it, she saw a drivers licence, a familiar face staring back at her from the photo ID. 

“Do you like my gift?” Solomon asked, a sick smirk on his face.

Elises blood felt like ice in her veins, her vision blurry from tears, hands shaking. She turned to look at the well dressed daemon, leaning on his walking stick, looking smug.

“Evidently not. I needed to make my point you see? The sooner you give up, the sooner I stop taking your family apart.”

She felt as if her mouth was speaking but her mind was drifting a few feet away. “Go ahead.”

“Excuse me? I’m not going to fall for that twice.”

“I submit. This form is all yours if you can take it. I give my consent.”

“I should have done this from the start.” He grinned, walking over to her. He placed a hand on her head but nothing happened. “What is this? Why can’t I-?”

“This vessel doesn’t belong to me. It doesn’t belong to my partners or friends. It belongs to a concept. You lose Asmodei.” She said, her voice monotone. 

He backhanded her across the face in frustration, throwing her down onto the old, cracked, and half covered by soil, pavement that had once been the pathway. “This isn’t over!” 

“You should go. If you kill me in anger it will be.”

He turned his nose up at her and faded, gone. The earth seemed to rumble and shake, the cries of weevils rising from below as she clutched the wallet to her chest and curled up on the floor. 

Ianto felt the tremors and heard the weevils lamentations. They were the same as he’d heard from Janet when Elise was taken away. He sprinted back as fast as his legs would allow, sliding down the embankment and skidding to a stop next to his fallen friend.

“Elise!” He gasped, chest aching from the exertion. She was shaking and one side of her face was bright red. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you. What’s happening?”

“It’s not your fault.” She croaked, holding up the wallet.

“I… I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s not fair. He was meant to move on and have a life.” 

He pulled her up into his arms, examining her face and the black eye that would be. “Elise, I need you to calm down. The rift is-”

Her black veined eyes looked to him. “Am I doing that?”

“The weevils are crying, can’t you hear them?”

“It doesn’t feel like I’m even here… My eyes are crying but I can’t feel it. Not like I should.”

“I need you to listen to me, ok? Tell me Five things you can see.”

“What?”

“Five things you can see.” He said calmly and slowly.

Her eyes swept around lazily. “Clouds, trees, you, birds, sky.”

“Four things you can feel.”

“My face hurts, the floor’s cold, the wind… You’re warm”

“Three things you can hear.”

“The weevils are screaming, the leaves moving, the birds calling.”

“Two things you can smell.”

“Blood, there’s rain in the air.”

“One thing you can taste.”

“Copper.”

“Are you feeling a bit more connected?” He asked. The tremors had stopped and the weevils were quieting. 

Her face scrunched up and she wailed, burying her face into his chest, her whole body shook.

As soon as they got back Tosh ran into the hub and up to her workstation. She’d received some strange rift warnings and as neither Ianto nor Elise was answering any calls she wanted to check that the world wasn’t ending. 

“Tosh?” Ianto asked softly, barely audible. 

She turned, wide eyed. “Why weren’t you answering? What happened?”

He pointed to the shivering bundle of blankets next to him, the only visible skin being a hand that was clamped around the hem of his jacket. “She found his body.”

Tosh paused for a moment to work out what he meant but as the realisation struck her she gasped. “Oh god. Ok, I’ll take over. Can you tell the others? They’re parking.”

“If you can get her to let go.” 

She placed her fingers under Elises, loosening her grip enough to set Ianto free. He swapped places with her and watched the blankets rise a little to cuddle up to Toshikos side. 

He rushed off, meeting Jack and Owen in the garage. Jack studied him, noting the scuffs on his knees and shoes, and the faint mix of blood and tears soaked into his shirt. 

“What happened?” 

Ianto sighed, looking tired. “Elise found her dads body… I’ve left Tosh with her.”

“How?” Jacks voice was soft. He’d spent most of the day thinking about what he would say and now it didn’t matter. 

“We got an alert for an alien organ thief. We went to pick him up and he was cutting up a body… She found a drivers license in his pocket.”

Owen moved to charge past but Ianto stopped him. “What?”

“She has a black eye and she’s… Fragile. Just thought I’d warn you.”

He nodded and patted Iantos hand, not lashing out like he usually would. He was worried but he knew it was over. It was done. 

“The rift activity, was that her?” Jack asked.

Ianto nodded. “Nothing came through or left. I checked to see if there was any damage.”

“Good… I’ll give them a few minutes then tell Owen to sign her off on medical leave for a couple of days. Why weren’t you answering our calls?”

“I couldn’t move without her getting … Emotional. I didn’t want a repeat of the activity. I think it’s eased off now but I can’t be sure with her hiding under a blanket.”

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine. I feel guilty for letting her see that.” He looked away, not hiding his feelings as well as he usually would. 

Jack placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. “You couldn’t have known. Don’t blame yourself.” 

“...Where’s Gwen?”

“She’s driving the van we borrowed to transport the sand eaters. We sped back because of the rift activity.”

“You brought the sand eaters back?”

“They’re harmless. They only live for a couple of months and I don’t think they’ll be breeding after the condition we found them in. As long as they’re fed they shouldn’t start eating the floor.” 

“And power pulse?”

“After the CEO was dragged away by the cops for trying to murder his secretary, and them no longer able to use their secret ingredient, I think they’re done. The press were starting to show up as we were leaving.”

“The withdrawal is going to be awful.”

“There’s nothing we can do about that. So, how did Elise get a black eye?”

Iantos stomach flipped. “I don’t know exactly but I can guess. I was only out of sight for a minute. I’m sorry.”

“As much as we try we can’t be with her twenty four seven.”

“Would you say that if it was anyone else?”

“I would. A couple of minutes should have been fine. It’s over.”

“For now.” 


End file.
